Wen Ying usually disliked kicking people when they were down.
It was all the fault of the Zhao siblings for being truly detestable.
Zhao Qian disregarded Xie Qian’s personal wishes. Zhao Dong looked down on daughters from ordinary families. He opened his mouth and demanded that Wen Ying sacrifice her friendships for career advancement. How could Wen Ying not be angry?
Of course she was angry.
She had bottled up her resentment for nearly four years. Now, watching the people she despised fall on hard times, Wen Ying felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
“What will happen to Zhao Dong once Silan collapses?”
At this moment, Wen Ying felt like a villain.
No wonder novels and dramas always featured so many villains. Readers and viewers hated them with gritted teeth, yet the villains remained standing.
Sometimes being the villain really felt exhilarating.
Xie Qian considered the question seriously. “He will not be able to stay in China. Most likely he will return to where he came from. Inheriting the Zhao family’s ‘family business’ might be Zhao Dong’s best path.”
Pfft.
Xie Qian could be truly cutting at times. The Zhao family’s so-called “family business” was nothing more than living off women, was it not?
“I seem to recall that Zhao Dong came to China because he offended some senator and was driven out.”
A smile touched the corners of Xie Qian’s eyes. “The senator’s daughter was hard to marry. But who knows, there might be other wealthy older women with poor judgement. The world is vast. There will always be a meal for Zhao Dong somewhere.”
Ahem. If no older wealthy women could be found, an older wealthy man would do just as well.
Wen Ying laughed at her own mischievous thought.
The media had captured photos of Zhao Qian’s “disfigured” face. Everyone said Wen Ying had won the bet. Wen Ying thought Zhao Qian’s condition looked less like an allergic reaction and more like congested acne.
But why should Wen Ying explain on Zhao Qian’s behalf?
Zhao Qian had brought people to secretly photograph and confront Wen Ying. She deserved to fail and lose even more.
Zhao Dong and Zhuo Chen waited for Xie Jinghu to come to their aid. They waited and waited, only to receive a stack of lawsuits from affected consumers.
The consumers wanted to sue Silan.
Not only did they sue Silan, but they also sued the beauty salons and plastic surgery hospitals that had vigorously promoted the brand.
The salons and hospitals felt they had merely acted as resellers. The products had been legally produced. How could they have known they would cause allergies? After thinking it over, they decided to band together and sue Silan as well.
On one side, rights-protection efforts unfolded with great momentum. On the other, waves of criticism rose and fell.
How had such products passed approval and reached the market?
Were some of our approval and regulatory processes a little too lax?
Some media figures were bold enough to speak the truth. Articles appeared in newspapers first, soon sparking widespread discussion.
Zhao Dong never received salvation from Xie Jinghu. Instead he received consumer lawsuits and pointed criticism from official media outlets.
Silan was truly finished.
Even if Zhao Dong transferred all his shares to Zhuo Chen, it would make no difference. Silan’s shares were now worthless.
Zhao Dong could not contain his rage and roared at Zhuo Chen, “Did you not say Mr Xie would help us?”
Xie Jinghu had indeed said those words.
But Xie Jinghu was a man whose promises were sometimes no more reliable than hot air.
In the past he had used this tactic against Zou Weijun and Xie Qian. Now it was Zhuo Chen’s turn to taste being deceived by his own father.
Xie Jinghu even consoled Zhuo Chen, saying he had spoken with Xie Qian but they had failed to reach agreement. Xie Jinghu himself also felt Silan held little salvage value.
“When the old departs, the new arrives. I will not let you suffer a loss.”
Xie Jinghu promised to give Zhuo Chen a sum of money to start a new venture.
As for Zhao Dong, Zhao Dong was not Xie Jinghu’s illegitimate son. Xie Jinghu had no obligation to concern himself with Zhao Dong’s survival.
“He should seek help from the Zhao family.”
Xie Jinghu remained convinced that Zhao Dong had cuckolded him, yet he had never confronted Zhao Dong directly. Zhao Dong still had no idea of Xie Jinghu’s loathing.
When Silan had been founded, all of Zhao Dong’s funding had come through Xie Jinghu’s introductions. Now that Silan had collapsed, Zhao Dong was saddled with enormous debt.
Consumers pursued compensation. Banks chased repayment. All of Silan’s assets were seized.
Under her husband He Zhinian’s persuasion, Dai Chenglan had prepared herself for Silan’s fate. Yet when the day truly arrived, she was still heartbroken.
Dai Chenglan fell ill and lay at home for a full half month.
When she finally went out again, she encountered Sara Zhuo and her daughter.
As Silan plunged into crisis, Sara Zhuo had wanted to help, but she herself was entangled in lawsuits and could not produce the vast sums needed to save it. When an entire avalanche occurs, money alone cannot stop it. Sara Zhuo had no business acumen. She could only watch helplessly as Silan became insolvent and collapsed.
Meeting Dai Chenglan again, Sara Zhuo’s expression was cold as she walked past.
Zhuo Yue did glance back at Dai Chenglan several times, seeming to hesitate as if she wanted to speak.
Dai Chenglan stood in place and did not pursue them.
No explanations. No attempts to curry favour.
Zhuo Chen had lost his Silan shares. Dai Chenglan’s losses were even greater than Zhuo Chen’s.
Dai Chenglan thought to herself, everyone is suffering so much. Why should she be the one to lower her head?
She would not die for refusing to be Sara Zhuo’s lackey.
…
A false friendship spanning more than twenty years came to an end.
Zhao Qian’s studies at Zendai University were also forcibly interrupted.
Zhao Dong went bankrupt and planned to take Zhao Qian and leave China.
Zhao Qian had previously complained endlessly about China, claiming it was less developed than abroad. Now that departure was imminent, she felt deeply unwilling.
This was a loser’s ignominious retreat.
After several years of entrepreneurship in China, Zhao Dong ended up with nothing. He had failed to make money here and had even lost his own fortune.
With Zhao Dong penniless, Zhao Qian’s life naturally became straitened.
The Zhao family made it clear they would not fill the hole for Zhao Dong. If he was unsuited to business, he would have to try other paths.
Zhao Qian was even less capable than Zhao Dong. If she could not secure a long-term meal ticket, her future days would likewise be difficult.
Zhuo Chen had already discovered that Wen Ying was a shareholder in He Zhen’s company and had intended to use this for a counterattack in public opinion. Hunan Provincial TV’s news programme caught Zhuo Chen and Zhao Dong off guard. Afterwards Silan descended into complete chaos, and neither man had spare energy to attack Wen Ying.
Zhao Qian refused to accept defeat. While handling her suspension procedures, she deliberately leaked the news to a reporter.
“Publish this story, and the money is yours.”
Zhao Qian handed over the last of her cash. She believed reporters needed stories like this.
The reporter accepted Zhao Qian’s money and promised enthusiastically, only to turn around and hand the material to Jiang Youjia.
Jiang Youjia paid the fee and was filled with admiration for Xie Qian. “How did you guess Zhao Qian would expose Wen Ying’s shareholding?”
With Zhao Dong bankrupt, Zhao Qian was still willing to spend money bribing reporters. Jiang Youjia could not comprehend Zhao Qian’s thinking.
Xie Qian could not understand Zhao Qian’s logic either. He had simply used the meticulous reasoning of a top student to prepare for every contingency.
“If not Zhao Qian, then Zhao Dong, or perhaps Zhuo Chen. They all share one trait. When they fail, they never look for the cause within themselves. They must find a target for revenge, and they always bully the weak while fearing the strong.”
Exposing Wen Ying’s investment in a medical beauty company would bring no benefit whatsoever to the bankrupt Silan.
Zhao Qian was not unaware of this. She simply refused to let Wen Ying enjoy peace. Before leaving, she wanted to disgust Wen Ying one last time.
